What Scouting Does on ScoutmasterCG Archive

Rules Create the Game of Scouting

Thu, 13 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting’s policies and procedures, the rules that create the Game of Scouting, are not intended to check the ardor, interest or inventiveness of Scouts but to guide their efforts towards the aims of Scouting and to keep them safe A common problem arises when we misunderstand the place of a specific Scouting procedure or policy.

Sometimes they seem helplessly inefficient or circuitous so we attempt to fix them. But like the rules of a game define how the game is played the policies and procedures of Scouting define how we reach the aims Scouting.

B.P.'s Blog - The Tsar and Scouts

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

He may have had his faults — the Tsar; he may have been a weak man, but at any rate he was no bloody-minded tyrant. He was merely the representative of a succession of autocratic rulers of Russia. And though democratic self-government is a consummation devoutly to be wished for as a rule, who can say, in the light of recent history, that all Russia was yet ripe for it? It is difficult for us in our little island to realise the strange contrast of peoples there, and how wide is the variety of different tribes, half of them Asiatic, and in many parts two hundred years behind the times. It is not, perhaps, generally realised that Nicholas himself was both sympathetic and alive to this. In him the people had a better friend than probably they knew. One aim he had in view was to build up eventually a modem nation capable of selfgovernment, and of developing the immense resources of the country. But he realised that this was not a matter of a moment that as a first step education on more up-to-date lines was essential, even though traditional methods were upset in bringing it about. He was not too proud to look abroad and see what other folk were doing. One day he heard the story of the feckless and the persevering frogs who fell into the cream. This attracted him to read the book in which it is told — namely, Scouting for Boys . Then the writer was sent for to explain the scheme. In an ordinary quiet little study I had a long and quite informal talk with the Tsar alone. He had fully grasped the possibilities of the Scout-training for education up to date, and he saw the meaning underneath its woodcraft and activities which gave free play to the individual on the line of self -discipline and service for others. He explained how the existing system in Russia was to educate the boys as military cadets. The schoolhouse was a barrack, the masters ranked as officers, the discipline was that of the Army — and pretty stiff at that. No individuality was permitted to the boys, no games or practice that might develop their character from within; their schooling was a round of instruction imposed from without. This, the Tsar felt, was not a way in which to bring a nation up to date nor to meet the growing instinct for liberty of thought and action. He saw a road to this in Scouting. He had, therefore, had the book translated into Russian, and had invited all the schools to try the training on their boys. By way of encouraging this he had agreed personally to review the first school which passed its test in Scoutcraft. This happened to be one away in the Crimea, but the boys were brought up all the way to Petrograd by special train to be inspected and to receive his praise. What a day for them! He now invited me to visit schools and see the boys in their transition from Cadet training to that of Scouting. He felt the difficulty might be to change the spirit with the form of education, and for success this was essential. As he saw it Cadet-training was form without soul, whereas that of Scouting appeared to be the free expression of the right individual spirit on the part of the boy. He had grasped the idea himself, but whether the schoolmasters had done so was another question. He was at any rate sufficiently impressed by the value of Scouting to make his own son take it up.

Do What Scouts Do

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine, for a moment, there is nothing called “Scouting”, no program, no troops, no councils, no districts, no uniforms, no badges.

Someone comes up with an idea for helping young people develop character by getting outdoors and going camping. They share this idea with young people who get pretty excited about it. They get their buddies together, and decide they really like the whole idea, and organize a camping trip.

B.P.'s Blog - Scouting Spirit

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

A SCOUT officer came to me the other day with a scheme for organising the Movement on a better footing than heretofore. It involved a certain amount of expense in offices, whole-time secretaries, etc. But there was a plan to meet this with an adequate contribution of funds from Local Associations. An integral part of the idea was the formation of a fully representative committee by general election to manage the whole organisation; the advantage was that it could eliminate the present sporadic and uneven arrangement of Local Associations running their shows on different lines of their own. In this more centralised and ordered system a far more accurate record could be kept of the development, a more regular standard of efficiency among the Troops could be set up, and a better general supervision maintained. He was going on to describe further advantages of the scheme when I felt bound to save him the trouble, and I burst in on him with the remark, “My dear chap! But you have not got the hang of Scouting. For one thing the Movement extends considerably beyond the United Kingdom. Your elected committee would have to represent all parts of the Empire. How could election supply the expert heads required for the different departments at Headquarters?

What Are We Walking On?

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

It is healthy to test and question even the most elemental forces, ideals and influences in our lives: Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear. -Thomas Jefferson Do you spend a great deal of time questioning gravity?

I suppose when we were little we had to learn about the consequences of gravity – we all fell down a few times when we were learning to walk. We learn about gravity through the process of trial and error. It would seem we only pay real attention to these elemental forces when we put them to work for us, or when we try to defy them. The Scout Oath and Law is much like gravity. It effects everything we do. We aren’t often conscious of its influence because, like gravity, it is such a basic principle we tend not to notice it. The more we examine, the more we test, the more we observe the more we learn about those things we often take for granted.

B-P's Blog - Synthetic Scouting

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

PERSONALLY I fear there is the danger that a kind of synthetic Scouting may creep into our training in place of the natural article described in Scouting for Boys .

I would urge District Commissioners to watch out for this in the course of their inspections and correct the tendency where they spot it. By “synthetic scouting” I mean the Scout system obscured by over clothing the natural form with rules and instructive literature, tending to make what originally was, and should be, an open-air game into a science for the Scouter and a school curriculum for the boy.

Methods, Rules and Joy

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting has long been a positive, constructive influence in the lives of young people. This vast potential for good lies in simple, direct methods that have been applied effectively across widely different cultures and systems of belief.

These methods need little adaptation, modification or complication – they only require application to create opportunities for Scouts to exercise the concepts of the Scout Oath and Law.

Scouting requires surprisingly few rules, regulations and limitations.

Resolving Scouting Problems

Sat, 19 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I often hear from Scouters and parents who ask me to help them resolve Scouting problems involving a personality conflict, a disappointment, or other difficulty. Here’s a few recent examples – A parent of Scout who was disappointed by the outcome of an election was pretty sure that the election was unfair.

Someone who wanted the Scoutmaster in their troop to hold youth leaders to a higher level of “accountability”. A Scoutmaster who wanted to find a policy that would keep an interfering parent from attending camping trips. Many times these folks are asking me to help them find a policy or rule that supports their position, but that’s putting the cart before the horse.

B-P's Blog - Jollifying Scouting

Sun, 06 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

I’M not satisfied, although one might think I ought to be. Our numbers are steadily growing– training centres increasing; Scout spirit good; and so on. But there is too much leakage, and also too little character-growth– as yet.

Leakage of Cubs not going up to Scouts; of Scouts not going up to Rovers, etc.– this comes from various causes. In some cases it is difficult to remedy, but in many cases the reason is that the boys have become tired of Scouting. With an understanding Group Scoutmaster this seldom happens. But where the same old programme, or want of programme, goes on week after week, and month after month, boredom is only natural.

B-P's Blog - Scouting - Game, not Science

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

Yes, Scouting is a game. But sometimes I wonder whether, with all our pamphlets, rules, disquisitions in the Scouter , conferences, and training classes for Commissioners and other Scouters, etc., we may not appear to be making of it too serious a game. It is true that these things are all necessary and helpful to men for getting the hang of the thing, and for securing results. But they are apt to grow into big proportions (like one’s own children or one’s own mannerisms) without our noticing it, when all the time it is very patent to those who come suddenly upon it from outside. Thus this phalanx of instructional aids appears terribly formidable to many a Scouter, while to outsiders having a look before they leap into our vortex it must in many cases be directly deterring. When you come to look on it as something formidable, then you miss the whole spirit and the whole joy of it; your boys catch the depression from you, and Scouting, having lost its spirit, is no longer a game for them. It becomes like the game of polo which was suggested to me by a General under whom I served. A melancholy occasion had arisen when the Troops in the garrison were ordered to go into mourning. This happened on the very day that an important polo match was to be played. So I was sent as a deputation to the General to ask whether the match would have to be cancelled. The General, with a twinkle in his eye, replied: “I think if you played very slowly and used a black ball it might meet the occasion.”

B.P.'s Blog - What is Scouting?

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

What is Scouting? Not one in a hundred of our own people knows this.

Scouting is not a thing that can be taught by wording it in public speeches, nor by defining it in print. Its successful application depends entirely on the grasp of the Scout spirit by both trainer and trainee. What this spirit is can only be understood by outsiders when they see it ruling, as it already does to a vast extent, the thoughts and the actions of each member of our brotherhood. Thus every Scoutmaster and every Commissioner will be an apostle to them, not merely through what he says but through what he imparts by impression and through what he does himself in his own personality. For this he must, as a first point, be imbued with a real understanding knowledge of the Scout ideals, the methods we use to gain them, and the reasons that underlie them.

Scale and Scouting

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting begins with an individual commitment expressed in the life of the Patrol and Troop.

Troops form districts, districts form councils, councils form regions and regions form our national organization. I’ve for years felt strongly that, in all training, we spend too much time on “how to” and vastly too little time on WHY.

I believe, further, that the arbitrary drifting from the “model troop” and “model patrol” (yup, “model pack,” too) is a consequence of our failing to tell the new people we train WHY we do things in Scouting the way we do. ‘ Each step away from the Patrol is overlaid with an ever-burgeoning bureaucracy that obscures the real work of Scouting. In an attempt to make things “bigger and better” we are in danger of loosing focus on the target – the Scout and his Patrol.

B.P.'s Blog - Where Drill Fails

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

I SEE that in one of the newspapers lately the original inventor of Scouting has discovered himself. He is the fourth who has done so within the last four years.

I was under the impression that the original founder, Epictetus, died many hundreds of years ago. This particular one tells us that we have perverted his ideals and that we are not sufficiently military. The truth is that these gentlemen see a similarity in our body to something that they have thought of for themselves, but they have not studied its soul and have not, therefore, grasped its meaning or its possibilities. What is our aim? They don’t seem to regard that as of any special importance in their argument. But it happens to be the keystone on which the whole question stands. Our aim is to get hold of the boys and to open up their minds, to bring out each lad’s character (and no two are exactly alike), to make them into good men for God and their country, to encourage them to be energetic workers and to be honourable, manly fellows with a brotherly feeling for one another. As our Movement attracts all classes (the poorest get equal chances and consideration with the more fortunate), much of the present human wastage will be turned into valuable citizenhood. It is by the character of its citizens, not by the force of its arms, that a country rises superior to others. If we can get that character and sense of brotherhood instilled into all our boys at home and in the British Dominions overseas, we shall forge a stronger link to that which at present holds the whole Empire together. And as the Movement gets a hold, as it is doing, in foreign countries as well, it will promote a common bond of sympathy which makes for peace between the nations. Our opportunities and possibilities in these directions are immense; and these are the aims which our Scoutmasters have before them in planning their work. But our original inventors have apparently never thought of these ends. It is certain they could no more attain them by drill than they could attain them by teaching their grandmothers to walk the tight-rope.

Cultivating Scouting

Wed, 11 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

There is too much “management science” in Scouting. We should stop trying to manage programs, Scouts, patrols, and troops.

Scoutmastership is much more akin to gardening than management. If we spend our time cultivating Scouting rather than managing it we’ll get better results.

Gardeners prepare the ground, plant the seed and the plants do the rest. Keep the weeds away, make sure there is plenty of water and sunshine and you can’t fail. If I don’t stake my tomato plants they fall over and sprawl around on the ground. If I trim and tend them they grow into productive plants.

A New Scoutmaster Makes Changes

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0000

At some point a new Scoutmaster be trained, and will have studied the resources. Once that’s happened a new Scoutmaster will be reasonably confident that some changes need to be made.

These may just be changes of style or they may be fairly systemic. Bear in mind that all change can be challenging, Scouts and adults are typically resistant to it and it can be an unpleasant process if not handled properly. It will be up to you to win hearts and minds when it comes to change; to shepherd your herd of cats through the process. You need vast reserves of patience and equanimity to bring change to any organization. To my lights there’s three steps to making changes – educating yourself (training, independent study), observation and implementation. I’ve discussed the first, training and study, in previous posts.

The Big Picture in Scouting

Tue, 24 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Scout leader training tends to focus on the practical and, I fear, often misses the big picture. Most of the questions and comments I receive are about action oriented, practical matters. More often than not problems arise because people have missed the big picture rather than their lack of knowledge of some procedural process. What is the big picture, the grand unified theory of Scouting?

I have been working on theories but I still haven’t arrived at a conclusion. One thing I can tell you that would resolve about 80% of the difficulties that reach me for advice: Scouting is an age-appropriate continuum of development, not a list of achievements to accomplish as quickly and efficiently as possible.

What is an Eagle Scout?

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Asking “what is an Eagle Scout?” sparks interesting conversations among Scouters. This question got me wrapped around my own axle for a few years; but not anymore.

Conversations about Eagle Scout commonly unfold like an operatic libretto. The curtain rises on the chorus singing about how once proud standards have fallen because now just anyone can be an Eagle Scout.

Stories of overzealous parents, twelve year-old Eagles (good lord twelve !), and other “grave concerns and injustices” unfold dramatically to advance the theme. In the finale the basso-profundo aria; “Well, we really make our Scouts earn Eagle, we aren’t an Eagle Factory (the chorus gasps in horror) like that troop across town.” A standing ovation, and the curtain falls until the next performance. As a new Scoutmaster (mind you, this was thirty years ago) I was in the audience listening to old Scouters sing their aria of complaint.

Just What Does 'Scoutmaster' Mean?

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

If you’re a regular reader, you already know about the tyrants and tin gods, renegades and recalcitrants, bullies and belligerents, dictators, martinets, and “world’s oldest Patrol Leaders” masquerading as Scoutmasters.

Thank goodness that, for every one of them, there are a thousand or more dedicated Scouting leaders who get it right! But how did this happen? How did we get so far away from True North?

Aside from warped mentalities seeking out this position in order to foment their brand of meanness, is there some sort of cultural error or acquiescence that has abetted this?

Measuring Tapes?

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Measuring tapes are an essential tool for a carpenter; eight feet will always be ninety six inches. But measuring tapes are not indispensable and sometimes cause more problems than they solve. An experienced carpenter will tell you that they would prefer making a cut by holding a board in the place it belongs and marking it rather than transferring measurements from a tape as it is more likely to achieve a better fit.

True North or Magnetic North?

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

More than once, out hiking or paddling, I followed my instincts (the campsite is right over there!) rather than my map and ended up off course. Good pilots and navigators trust instruments over instincts.

Compasses point at magnetic north .

Scouters have assumptions or impressions about Scouting.

Meridians of longitude on maps converge at true north .

Scouting aims and principles are the Scouter’s map. To follow a true north meridian on a map with a compass we compensate for the difference between magnetic and true north. To Apply Scouting we must align our impressions and assumptions with Scouting aims and principles. Once we learn the aims we need to adjust course or we’re in danger of steering away from our destination.

Boy Scout Attendance Policies

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

In answer to a remark that Troops should maintain attendance standards Andy at Ask Andy replies: Scouting isn’t school, or sports, or church, or a team, or anything else but Scouting.

Other organizations, groups, teams, programs, etc. might have their own rules for attendance and participation, and that in no way has an influence on what a troop, pack, crew, post, or ship does. The best part of Scouting is that it’s Scouting. Here are Scouting’s three attendance “rules”: 1) The youth in the troop are the true volunteers and the only reason they have for showing up is that they enjoy the program; 2) “Program Produces Participants”; 3) Scouts vote with their feet. Our sons and daughters attend school because they’re told they must or they won’t graduate; they show up for team practice because they’re told that if they don’t they’re either off the team or they’ll be benched; they go to church and Sunday School because…well, you get the idea here, right?

Scouting Jargon

Wed, 08 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Jargon is an Old French word meaning “the chatter of birds”. At it’s best Scouting jargon encapsulates a complex idea or definition for easy reference. At it’s worst jargon can become unintelligible, pretentious, convoluted vocabulary of the initiated.

Scouting has a lot of acronyms and initialization: ‘ We talked about EDGE at the PLC and encouraged them to use MaSeR during their SSC and SMART exercises.’

Scouting jargon is not, in itself, a bad thing. The danger is we use it until the concept expressed becomes secondary and the meaning is clouded or lost. In training both adults and youth we often identify an idea or skill with a mnemonic or an acronym.

Nostalgia, Tradition, and the Relevance of Scouting

Sat, 30 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Whenever two or three Scouters get together talk eventually turns to the relevance of Scouting in ‘modern society’. Some think we’ve diminished the ideals of ‘manliness’ , traditional patriotism, bootstrap initiative, competitiveness and rigor in achievement but have they really examined what those ideas actually mean?

Scouting does not consider that these things are scarce, unobtainable qualities, but that each individual Scout has vast potential to develop them . We wrangle and argue over measurements; what is ‘true’ manliness, patriotism, achievement?

Declination

Tue, 26 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Compasses point at magnetic north.

Meridians of longitude point at true north.

Latitude and longitude, a grid of measured coordinates, determine geographic locations.

Compass readings have to be reconciled to the measured grid; a factor called declination. The magnetic poles of the earth shift slightly over time, and declination changes depending on your location. We enter into an undertaking like scouting with our own presuppositions and ideas.

These ideas may be aligned with what the goals and intents of Scouting, sightly off course, or badly misdirected. Once we learn the real goals and intents we need to adjust course or we’re in danger of steering away from our destination.

Jan Amos Commenius

Tue, 26 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Boys ever delight in being occupied in something for the youthful blood does not allow them to be at rest. Now as this is very useful, it ought not to be restrained, but provision made that they may always have something to do. Let them be like ants, continually occupied in doing something, carrying, drawing, construction and transporting, provided always that whatever they do be done prudently. They ought to be assisted by showing them the forms of all things, even of playthings; for they cannot yet be occupied in real work, and we should play with them.

Scouting: Organization, Movement or Philosophy?

Sat, 23 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting is not an organization.

Scouting is a movement.

Scouting is also a philosophy. The philosophy drives the movement, the movement uses various organizations. An organization possesses and uses structure, resources and power.

Organizations hire workers, issue policies, buy and sell products, build buildings. The B.S.A., W.O.S.M., and G.S.A.are all organizations that serve Scouting, but they are not Scouting itself.

Movements have an emotional heart. A movement may use organizations but are not dependent on them.

Simple Versus Complicated Scouting

Fri, 22 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The steps in training have become so absorbing and important that in many cases the aim has come to be lost sight of. -B.P Take a moment and step back from all of your roles and responsibilities and observe how simple Scouting is. The aim is simple : Providing opportunities for the development of character, fitness, and citizenship. The method is simple : We share ideals , express our unity by wearing uniforms , organize using the patrol method based on youth leadership in the outdoors , and recognize the resulting personal growth using an advancement system . All of this happens as our Scouts form useful association with caring adults. The organization is simple : Individual Scouts form patrols and patrols form larger groups.* I think Scouts innately embrace the simple excitement and challenges of Scouting, but we adults often stand in their way by complicating things. How do we adults complicate Scouting? We clothe Scouting in far too many layers of bureaucratic administration. We seek recognition, fulfillment, or aggrandizement for ourselves rather than focusing on our Scouts. We build structures where Scouts become decorations rather than vital participants. We demand or coerce things from Scouts that they would do freely for themselves given opportunity and encouragement.

Breakthrough Scouting and Numbers

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Organizations that do nothing but measure the numbers rarely create breakthroughs.

Merely better numbers. Seth Godin via Seth’s Blog: Colors or numbers? One responsibility of every Scouter is keeping track of numbers. We track advancement, participation, membership, and fundraising numbers at the individual, unit, district, council, regional, and national levels because these numbers are indicators of successful program delivery. But, make no mistake, numbers are only indicators. When we observe numbers they can tell us things. If we chase numbers we get in trouble. Good people with the best of intentions can make big mistakes when they chase numbers.

Keep the Promise of Scouting

Mon, 08 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000

What, precisely, is the promise of Scouting? No one would know better than William Hillcourt:

Your Life as a Scout You are an American boy.

Before long you will be an American man. It is important to America and to yourself that you become a citizen of fine character, physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. Boy Scouting will help you become that kind of citizen. but also, Scouting will give you fellowship and fun. Yes, it’s fun to be a Boy Scout! It’s fun to go hiking and camping with your best friends… to swim, to dive, to paddle a canoe, to wield an ax… to follow the footsteps of the pioneers who led the way through the wilderness… to stare into the glowing embers of a campfire and dream of the wonders of the life that is in store for you… It’s fun also to learn to walk noiselessly through the woods… to stalk close to a grazing deer without being noticed… to bring a bird close to you by imitating its call. It is fun to find your way cross country by map and compass… to make a meal when you are hungry… to take a safe swim when you are hot… to make yourself comfortable for the night in a tent or under the stars. In Scouting you become an outdoorsman. But Scouting is far more than fun in the outdoors, hiking and camping.

Scouting Traditions and Scouting Habit

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting Traditions are, for the most part, wonderful things, they connect us to the past and provide a bridge into the future.

Scouting has many hallowed traditions that have only grown more meaningful with the patina of time. As laudable as they may be these traditions can drift from the core concepts that created them and even obscure the reasons they were perpetuated.

Sometimes, if we stop and ask ourselves why we are following a tradition we may find it’s based on habits that grew out of a particular set of conditions that are no longer valid reasons to keep the tradition alive. It’s human nature to keep doing things as they were always done without asking why we are doing them in the first place. You may have heard the story of the cook who routinely cuts the end off of a roast before putting it in the oven because that’s what their mother did when they were growing up. If you asked mother why she cut the roast she’d tell you this was the way her mother did things and, in fact, that’s even what her grandmother did. Ask grandmother why she cut the ends off the roast and you may find she started doing it because her oven was too small for a whole roast!

The One Essential Feature of Scouting Explained

Tue, 28 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

In one sense it’s easy. Just do it. In another sense, it’s very complicated.

There are a lot of issues to be considered when creating a Patrol.

There are two kinds of patrols.

There are patrols, lowercase “p”.

These are informal groups of boy that form naturally in neighborhoods, sand lot ball fields and elsewhere. This is the patrol structure that BP observed in the field.

There are Patrols, uppercase “P”.

Scouting 2.0?

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

What if? Two very powerful words. Our Scouts are are digital natives – they aren’t simply ‘dependent’ or ‘addicted’ to technology, it’s a part of their world. They don’t see a dichotomy of real and virtual – it’s all kind of the same. What if, like our Scouts, we stopped seeing this as two irreconcilable worlds and welcomed the potential of every resource to further the aims and methods of Scouting? For example my blog and podcast are one of several out there that have built a virtual community of real people share ideas and assist each other. It’s useful and compelling work. So where are the Scouts? What happens when we tap the potential of this virtual world to help them? If you accept the premise that this is possible tell me what you think about these ideas based on the aims and methods of Scouting: Ideals Right now any one active online has a number of different identities shaped to meet the focus and limitations of the tools they are using. One of the challenges of working within a number of different social media sites is maintaining a consistent appearance and identity that connects them all. What, in each of these different expressions, is the best way to own our identity as Scouts and the ideals we share?

Inspiring Discovery

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Make Me a Boat If I communicate the love of the sea to my people, Soon you will see them diversifying according to their thousand particular qualities: One will weave the fabrics, Another will cut the tree in the forest, Another still will forge nails Someone will observe the stars to learn how to navigate, All will work as one. To create the ship is not just to weave the fabrics, Nor just to forge the nails, Nor only to read the stars, But to long for the endless immensity of the sea. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (A free translation of his poem Dessine-moi un bateau ) What is the goal of our work? If our goal is a boat we approach the task logically by assigning the making of the sails, forging of nails and cutting of wood. We’ll have a boat, but it will be an empty vessel with no mission, no inspiration. If our goal is the joy of the journey, the benefits of going through the process, we create a vision of the sea, a longing for exploration and watch as that inspiration ignites the desire to build. The workers will discover and invent the process, there will be many false starts and mistakes along the way, it will take much longer. But the result is a vessel that carries aspirations, hopes and dreams.

The Aims of Scouting

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

‘Aim’ is a particularly well chosen word to describe our focus as adult volunteers in Scouting.

Scouting has three specific objectives, commonly referred to as the “Aims of Scouting.” They are character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. One definition of ‘aim’ is “A purpose or intention toward which one’s efforts are directed”. As a shooting sports director for our camp years ago I learned a great deal about aiming. It’s not as simple as leveling a bow or rifle at the target and hoping for the best.

Movement or Organization

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

It is a movement, because it moves forward. As soon as it stops moving, it becomes an Organisation, and is no longer Scouting. -Baden Powell

There is sometimes troubled relationship between the creative, visionary force behind great ideas and the formal framework that facilitates their application. In Scouting we have the visionary force of the ideas that define Scouting and the policies that provide a framework for the vision. We often look on the policies as restrictions, as limitations and we have an inherent propensity to distrust them. But these policies are not limitations – they are definitions.

It ain’t ignorance

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

that causes all the trouble in this world. It’s the things people know that ain’t so.

Edwin Armstrong , electrical engineer and inventor of FM radio.

Sometimes in Scouting tradition and long practice usurp the way things ought to be. We tend to accept things unquestioningly as they are given to us.

I am reminded of the story of the fellow who always cut the ends off a ham before he put it in the oven. When someone asked him why he did this he replied that his mother had always baked ham this way. When he next saw his mother he asked her why she cut the ends off of the ham before she put it in the oven. She told him that she had to cut the end off the ham because her oven was too small. We really ought to know why we are doing what we are doing.

How Are We Doing?

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting is replete with different measures for success. The metrics of finance, membership, activity, advancement, training, miles hiked, feet climbed, distances paddled, roads biked, all serve to give us different perspectives but only partially and imperfectly answer the question. We may strive to distinguish our efforts by producing impeccably uniformed Scouts who can tie every knot in the book, whip up impeccable dutch oven feasts, and win contests. We may have troop trailer with the slickest paint job, or consider trailers effete and insist that ‘backpacking only’ is the one true way. We may have the coolest website, the most impressive roster of trained adults, flags full of ribbons, a tricked-out bus, a real powerhouse of a troop spewing out Eagles left and right, or a quiet, mildly ambitious bunch of Scouts. All these are only indicators, not answers, they aren’t proof.

Stay Restless

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Tradition is a form of complacency and innovation is a form of restlessness.

Complacency resists change: “We’ve always done it that way” “Nobody would like that change” “We don’t get any complaints (well, one or two from people with sour grapes.)” “People will get confused if we change that.”

Innovation begins with inquiry: “Why are we doing things that way?” “Is what we are doing actually achieving our goals?” “Is the cost of staying the same greater than the cost of change?” “Are we being true to the principles at the heart of our work?”

1928 Principles of Scoutmastership

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Published in 1928 “Principles of Scoutmastership In Relation To Boy Development” begins by defining the development we seek for our Scouts, how Scouts think, how they develop, what Scouting does to effect that development and what the Scoutmaster can do to further the process. This nearly 80 year-old advice is a sound now as the day it was written; some things never change.

I found the following excerpts particularly inspiring; Not Change but Growth Someone has asked, “How much can the boy be changed? Who would want to change him– this tousled-haired, noisy, fun-loving, vigorous follower of our footsteps?

Looking Ahead

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting programs falter and sometimes fold because they don’t answer these questions:

What is the minimum annual number of new members (youth and adult) to maintain our unit?
Who are our key unit leaders for the next five years?
How will we reach and or maintain financial stability?
Do we meet key indicators of effectively presenting our program? The tenure of most adult leaders in Scouting lasts as long as their children’s participation. A relatively few continue on when their children age out of the program.

Avoiding Eagle Scout Problems - Part 2

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Scoutmasters need to understand what makes Scouting different from everything else – why young men and women have been Scouts all over the world for the past century. If they take the time to do this they’ll avoid most Eagle Scout problems.

Scouting’s founder Baden-Powell envisioned a movement that would give everyone the opportunity to challenge and achievement based not on a single standard of performance but on a highly individualized, internalized standard. (Read Baden-Powell’s thoughts on this here). If we can encourage Scouts to define, internalize and follow an internal standard of acheivement we will have given them an set of skills that will immeasurably enrich their lives and communities. Like many Scoutmasters I was initially frustrated by the lack of measurable metrics in Scouting. Just what is Scout Spirit? What percentage of meetings or camp outs must a Scout attend to be considered active? How does one measure the effectiveness of someone’s leadership?

Big Picture" Thinking

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Selected for it’s 10X zoom my digital camera has recorded many Scout outings over the past several years.

Every once in a while I wish it had a wider minimum angle to capture more of a big scene.

I repeatedly find that I must zoom out to the widest angle in my approach to Scouting too – to take in the whole scene and gain a better perspective of my place in it.

Scouting's Progressive Program

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting’s progressive program is built on the idea of developmental stages.

Tiger Cubs work hand in hand with their parents, Wolf Cubs build on the relationships with their family, Bears build on the concepts of community, Webelos on self-reliance and independence. The Scout Troop and Patrol builds on all these skills as Scouts progress through the ranks.

Every so often I come across a situation where some overheated leadership has taken it on themselves to depart from the age appropriate activities and blaze their own trail. The most common offenders are Webelos leaders.

1913 Scoutmaster's Handbook

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The 1913 edition of the Handbook for Scout Masters is available on the net archive.

To be an effective Scouter we ought to continually assess our understanding of first principles, and there’s much food for thought in this edition of the Scoutmaster’s handbook.

It’s also an interesting glimpse into Scouting history.

The intentions of Scouting;

The Scout Movement is not antagonistic to any civic enterprise, but rather seeks to cooperate with all other good movements in the interest of the boy. The Movement is wholly non-sectarian and plans to work with every sect and creed alike; it is non-military, and seeks to promote Peace Scouting and to develop educational character-building for good citizenship. It is wholly non-partisan. It cannot favor one interest against another and cannot countenance interference on any debatable questions, whether social, religious or political. It seeks to make the boy a more useful and appreciative son to his parents or to those to whom he owes his home comforts, a more diligent and obedient student in his school life, a more valuable aid to the community in promoting its material progress and protection, and a more efficient and better prepared young man in development for future citizenship and the pleasures and hardships of mature existence.

Deconstructing Scouting

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Don’t be afraid, deconstruction is not demolition, it is examination. I am not suggesting that we tear things down, but that we understand them.

By deconstruction I mean discovering, recognizing, and understanding the unspoken and the implicit assumptions, ideas, and frameworks of scouting. It is not my intention to deconstruct the program but to describe the process because I have found it helpful.

For example one of the implicit ideas in scouting is promoting good citizenship. If I deconstruct the idea I have to define good citizenship and identify the actions that will promote it. From there I can build a program that achieves this goal.

Scout Factory

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Our educational system is heavily influenced by the industrial revolution.

Production lines replaced craftsmen and interchangeable parts handmade components. Mass production makes technology cheaper and more accessible so more people enjoy the benefits of technology. Mass production is efficient, but it has it’s limitations.

Industrialized education is efficient; students go through assembly lines where they are stamped with the curriculum, tested, and out for distribution.

Problem is students aren’t commodities they are people and the handicraft of education looses much when it is mechanized.